Stories for November 1, 2011

The third annual "Candy Buy Back'' program, in which children can sell excess unopened Halloween candy to participating physicians and dentists in San Diego County for $1 per pound, got under way today.

A judge has ruled a wife owes her ex-husband support money and a lump sum in cash payments. Not that unusual. But the husband is in prison, convicted for sexually assaulting the wife. How can this be? Investigative Reporter Mitch Blacher with the 10News I-Team joins us to explain.

It’s a new day” and “a new beginning”… That was the message from California High Speed Rail Authority members who unveiled an updated business plan. It included new cost estimates that some people describe as “sticker shock.”

Gain unique insight into what made Steve Jobs tick. There has been near-universal agreement that the late Apple founder was a great innovator in business and technology, but why was he great? What were the influences that shaped his character and drove him to such success from humble beginnings? With colleagues who worked closely with him and those who have chronicled his life, take an unflinching look at the mercurial, brilliant man and review his many talents and achievements.

This four-hour series based on the book by renowned physicist and author Brian Greene, takes us to the frontiers of physics to see how scientists are piecing together the most complete picture yet of space, time, and the universe. With each step, audiences will discover that just beneath the surface of our everyday experience lies a world we’d hardly recognize—a startling world far stranger and more wondrous than anyone expected. In the first episode, Greene reveals space as a dynamic fabric that can stretch, twist, warp, and ripple under the influence of gravity.

Why do some animals build structures and others don’t? And how do animals decide where to build? Animal homes need to be safe and secure, protected from predators and the weather. An eagle’s nest can weigh up to one ton, a termite mound can stand eight feet tall, and some falcon nest sites have been around for centuries. Going above ground and under, NATURE investigates just what goes into making a home when you’re wild and cost is not a factor.

A San Diego councilman asked today for a report on what obligations the city might have regarding two small businesses whose owners closed up shop at the Civic Center Plaza because of the Occupy San Diego protests.

Brandie Taylor is the vice chairwoman of the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, an Indian tribe in Northern San Diego County. Ms. Taylor has dedicated her life to advocating for tribal rights, preservation of tribal culture, improvement of health and safety of native peoples, and she is an avid supporter of higher education for youth. Ms. Taylor’s many accomplishments include securing funding for Iipay Nation’s Tribal Social Services, which handles child dependency cases and culturally focused assistance for family preservation.

Mexico has a long and successful tradition of producing world champion boxers. Now, with the rise of mixed martial arts in the U.S. and Mexico, Tijuana has become a breeding ground for a new generation of fighters.

Michelle M. Parada is the co-founder and lead teacher of All Tribes American Indian Charter School. Since 2001, All Tribes Charter School has provided culturally focused assistance to reduce the dropout rates among Native American students in San Diego by graduating 46 high school seniors to date. Ms. Parada has been a recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the 2010 Educator of the Year from the National Indian Education Association and San Diego’s 10News Leadership Award.

For centuries, people have been debating whether William Shakespeare actually wrote the plays credited to him. The new film "Anonymous" (opened October 28 throughout San Diego) suggests that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, an Elizabethan courtier and patron of the arts wrote the plays. Here to debate this and to provide their reactions to the films are a pair of members from the San Diego Shakespeare Society.